CULLMAN COUNTY - The ninth annual Cullman County Volunteer Fire Association Golf Tournament will take place this Saturday, Oct. 7, at Cross Creek Golf Course. The three-man scramble has a shotgun start scheduled for 8 a.m. and play should extend until noon. The cost is $60 per person, $180 per team.

This tournament is a huge fundraiser for the association, but not in the way people might think. All the proceeds go to help buy Christmas gifts for underprivileged children in Cullman County.

"We raised $7,000 last year and were able to sponsor 30 local children," Good Hope Volunteer Fire Department Chief David Scott said. "We look to top that number this year."

The tournament may have started nine years ago, but the seed was first planted when some extraordinary people with big hearts saw a need in our community and wanted to help meet that need.

"It started when we would rent out the Good Hope Volunteer Fire Department Station House for birthdays and reunions," said Scott. "We put the money in a separate account and we worked directly with Good Hope School to help the needy students. We wanted to get other schools and departments involved so I reached out to them and they wanted to help, and that is how the tournament was born."

Each school is contacted directly, most of the time through the school counselor, and a list is compiled of students who are in need. The names are then split up between the various volunteer fire departments across the county.

To join the tournament, or for more information, contact Scott at 256-339-3789. Cross Creek is located at 2321 County Road 490, Hanceville, Alabama 35077.